Saturday, June 9, 2012

In the U.S., the consumer’s automobile collision repair bill is estimated at $40 billion every year. The first fear that comes to mind of the consumer if the car has had a small scratch or a huge dent is the expense bill that the consumer has to face in fixing this, or the tiresome task involved in repairing. To remove this fear, AutoMD (http://www.AutoMD.com) has released the below five tips in celebration with the National Collision Awareness month.

AutoMD.com President Shane Evangelist has gone ahead and said that these simple body repair tips add up to potentially huge cost savings for car owners, whether they are DIYing or going to the repair shop. Of course, the best way to avoid these expenses is to carefully drive following the road rules and regulations and steer clear of collisions.

The top five auto repair tips are as follows:

1. Evaluate and verify the auto labor rates
Auto repair shops usually have two set of labor rates, one for mechanical and the other for body repairs. So make sure to evaluate the labor rates in nearby auto repair shops before getting the work done. Also, double check the bill and verify that you are paying the correct rate for the work. Many garage’s prefix their rates for different tasks. AutoMD’s Shop Finder helps to make a comparative rate study in the nearby shops.

2. Opt for paintless dent repair (PDR)
In cases where the repair is little, paintless dent repair (PDR) would be the best option. There are highly skilled technicians who can repair dents without the tedious tasks of sanding, filler and painting. This reduces the repair cost considerably.

3. Self help for small vehicle damages
Avoid going to the auto repair shops for small scratches. Instead try and obtain your car’s color code and get the right color so that it can be touched-up quickly so as to prevent rusting. Cars with minor scratches can be sand papered using fine sandpaper and soap water and then rubbed down using a rubbing compound to blend the final finish.

4. Replace new parts for the heavily damaged areas
If the damages are heavy, then replace it with new parts as it is more cost effective than repairing. This can be done by the consumer himself instead of going to the auto repair shop. DIY’s (Do it yourselfers) can save money and replace damaged parts by going online and locating replacement parts or from accessing AutoMD How-To-Guides.

5. Use products to avoid damage
Today’s market has number of products which is used to prevent damage to the vehicle like bumper protectors and door damage protectors. Use these products to reduce dents, dings, scratches and other types of damage.